Here's everything you need to know about the NFL for April 6
By John Breech Apr 6, 2026 at 12:58 pm ET • 12 min read 
Imagn Images Welcome to the Monday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!
The NFL season doesn't kick off for another five months, but something that's almost as exciting will be kicking off today: Offseason workouts! That's right, we're getting actual football.
Under NFL rules, each team is allowed to hold a voluntary nine-week offseason workout program and the best part is that any team that hired a new coach is allowed to start its program TODAY.
Although there are a total of 10 teams that have a new coach, only ONE of those teams will actually begin their workouts today and that's the Baltimore Ravens. The other nine teams that hired a new coach -- the Falcons, Bills, Cardinals, Browns, Raiders, Dolphins, Giants, Steelers and Titans -- will all be starting their workouts tomorrow.
On the Ravens' end, they got a surprise on Monday with Lamar Jackson showing up for voluntary workouts. However, that might be the only notable thing that happens over the next dew days because the first two weeks of these workouts are limited to mostly meetings. That being said, players and coaches will be available to the media during these early workout sessions, so that could spice things up between now and the draft.
Speaking of the draft, I would like everyone to know that we're going all in on the NFL Draft today. We're taking Mock Draft Monday to the next level with a team mock draft on top of our regular mock draft.
As always, here's your reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. Let's get to the rundown. Finally, I'd like to thank Tyler Sullivan for holding down the fort last week. My kids tricked me into taking them to Disney, so I spent the entire week eating cotton candy and Mickey-shaped pretzels.
1. Mock Draft Monday: Pete Prisco unveils his second mock
Getty Images It's time for another edition of Mock Draft Monday, which is where we hunt down one of our NFL Draft gurus and force them to give you a new mock draft since there's no better way to start the week than with a fresh mock. There are only two Mock Draft Mondays left after today, so please cherish every mock you read.
This week, we have a special mock draft and that's because it's from Pete Prisco, who is unveiling his SECOND mock draft of the season. This is the part where we usually unveil the first 10 picks of the mock, but instead, we're going to flip things around and reveal the FINAL 10 picks of the first round in Prisco's mock.
Let's check picks 23 through 32:
23. Eagles: OT Max Iheanachor (Arizona State) 24. Browns (via Jaguars): QB Ty Simpson (Alabama) 25. Bears: OT Blake Miller (Clemson) 26. Bills: LB Malachi Lawrence (Central Florida) 27. 49ers: OT Kadyn Proctor (Alabama) 28. Texans: DL Kayden McDonald (Ohio State) 29. Chiefs WR Makai Lemon (USC) 30. Dolphins (via Broncos): S Dillon Thieneman (Oregon) 31. Patriots: EDGE Zion Young (Missouri) 32. Seahawks: EDGE Cashius Howell (Texas A&M)
Prisco clearly loves drama, which I'm guessing is why he has the Browns taking a quarterback in the first round. The Browns already have a full QB room that consists of Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson and Dillon Gabriel, but this is the Browns we're talking about here, so it probably can't hurt to add another one.
If you want to see how the rest of Pete's first round pans out, then be sure to check out his entire mock draft here.
For more draft coverage, you can hear in-depth analysis twice a week on "With the First Pick" -- our year-round NFL Draft podcast with NFL Draft analyst Ryan Wilson. You can find "With the First Pick" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube.
2. Cowboys seven-round mock draft: Dallas goes big on defense in the early rounds
Since the calendar has now hit April, we're going to spice things up in the mock draft department by going over some team mock drafts that we've put together. We'll be taking a look at one team in each newsletter between now and the start of the draft on April 23, and we're going to start today with Dallas.
The Cowboys are definitely going to be a team to watch in the first round this year and that's mostly because they have TWO PICKS. Not only do they get to make a selection at 12th overall, but they also have Green Bay's first-round pick (20th overall) thanks to the Micah Parsons trade.
We put Garrett Podell in charge of making EVERY Dallas pick. The Cowboys have a total of eight picks in the draft and we're going to check out what Garrett came up with for their top five:
- Round 1 (12th overall): CB Jermod McCoy (Tennessee)
- Round 1 (20th overall): LB CJ Allen (Georgia)
- Round 3 (92nd overall): LB Keyron Crawford (Auburn)
- Round 4 (112th overall): S Bud Clark (TCU)
- Round 5 (152nd overall): RB Le'Veon Moss (Texas A&M)
The Cowboys had one of the worst defenses in the NFL last season so, not surprisingly, Garrett has them focusing on that side of the ball in the draft by using each of their first four picks on a defensive player
If you want a full explanation for the picks or if you're wondering how the other three picks turned out, then be sure to check out Garrett's full mock draft here.
3. Biggest non-draft questions that still need to be answered this offseason
George Pickens Dallas Cowboys Imagn Images As we get closer to the draft, we're probably going to be talking more and more about the draft, but before that can happen, we need to take a step back and look at the biggest non-draft questions that still need to be answered.
Zach Pereles broke down some of the biggest questions of the offseason that still don't have a resolution.
Q: Will George Pickens get a long-term deal? Pereles' breakdown: The Cowboys and Pickens have until July 15 to try to work out a new deal, and given Jerry Jones' lack of urgency, historically, to get big deals done, perhaps it's wisest to assume Pickens will play on the tag, or the Cowboys will drag this out right up to the deadline. But maybe, finally, Jones is a little bit more proactive. He's 83 years old, and in December, he admitted his management "has played a big role" in the franchise's 30-year Super Bowl drought. The Cowboys have two first-round picks. There's a chance they could make a jump, but only if Pickens is along for the ride.
Q: Will Lamar Jackson get an extension? Will he show up to Baltimore's voluntary offseason workouts? Pereles' breakdown: The Ravens restructured Jackson's deal to free up cap space this offseason, but really, he's in the market for an extension; his current deal expires after the 2027 season. Jackson's offseason participation has been inconsistent at best. With a new coach, new offensive coordinator (Declan Doyle) and new center after Tyler Linderbaum's departure, the Ravens would love to have him. ... Because they hired a new coach (Jesse Minter) this offseason, the Ravens can begin their offseason workout program today. New coach Jesse Minter isn't sure if Jackson will be part of it. NOTE: The second part of this question was answered today when Jackson actually showed up for the first day of voluntary workouts in Baltimore.
Q: Will Aaron Rodgers finally make a decision about his future? Pereles' breakdown: For a second straight offseason, Aaron Rodgers is keeping the Steelers in limbo. Last year, it took until June 5 for him to decide he'd keep playing and sign a one-year deal with Pittsburgh. So far this offseason, the Steelers have brought in Mike McCarthy -- who coached Rodgers in Green Bay -- as coach. In his introductory press conference, McCarthy said he'd "definitely" want to coach Rodgers in 2026. Rodgers said in early March that the Steelers have stayed in contact. Pittsburgh also acquired Michael Pittman Jr., adding a much-needed wide receiver opposite DK Metcalf. At league meetings, Steelers president Art Rooney II said he expects an answer from Rodgers by the NFL Draft. ... If Rodgers doesn't return, the Steelers -- who currently have Mason Rudolph and Will Howard as their quarterbacks -- would have to make a major change in plans.
Zach has a few more questions that he would like to see answered and you can check those out here.
4. Free agency matchmaker: Best landing spot for the top 10 remaining players
Today's newsletter definitely has a draft theme to it, but let's not forget that free agency is still going on and there are actually still some big names available. With that in mind, Garrett Podell decided to take a look at some of the biggest names who are still on the market and come up with a perfect landing spot for them.
Let's check out four of the top names on Podell's list:
- Stefon Diggs to the Vikings. If Diggs' legal process is resolved, a homecoming to the Minnesota Vikings makes plenty of sense. Jalen Nailor departed for the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency, so there's an opening at Minnesota's WR3 spot after Justin Jefferson and former first-round pick Jordan Addison. ... Providing Kyler Murray with three high-caliber wideouts would certainly be helpful.
- David Njoku to the Panthers. The Panthers make the most sense for Njoku: the defending NFC South champions need more of a receiving threat out of their tight end spot than Tommy Tremble has put on tape. He could really open up the middle of the field for quarterback Bryce Young.
- Von Miller to the Packers. Miller makes plenty of sense on the Packers, given Micah Parsons' situation. Parsons is recovering from a torn ACL. Miller would be an ideal addition to hold down the fort at the edge rusher spot opposite former first-round pick Lukas Van Ness until Parsons gets back.
- Joey Bosa to the 49ers. Joey Bosa was an underrated piece of the Bills' defense. He's not the same guy he was in the late 2010s because of injuries, but Pro Football Focus grades him as their seventh-highest graded pass-rushing edge defender with an 88.7 grade in 2025. ... Last season, the 49ers had the NFL's worst pass rush by a country mile. Going to San Francisco and teaming up with his brother Nick just makes too much sense.
Garrett came up with the ideal landing spot for 10 different players and you can see his full list here.
5. 2026 schedule rumors: Chiefs have two requests for the NFL
Before the NFL starts putting the schedule together, each team is allowed to make a few requests and the Chiefs definitely took advantage of that this year. For the most part, the requests tend to stay between the team and the league, but that's not the case with the Chiefs.
Chiefs president Mark Donovan has revealed two of the scheduling requests that his team has made for 2026, so let's take a look at them.
- Chiefs want to play in Spain. The Falcons will be the home team for this year's game in Spain and the Chiefs want to be the visiting team. "We've been very open and aggressive with the league -- as we have been since the beginning -- that we want to play in Spain this year," Donovan said, via the Kansas City star. "We think it would be a great market, game [and] matchup." The Chiefs have marketing rights in Spain and they're scheduled to play on the road against Atlanta this year, so this is a request the NFL could certainly end up fulfilling. The Chiefs have played at least one international game in two of the past three seasons with a game in Germany (2023) and a game in Brazil (2025).
- Chiefs want to play on Christmas. The Chiefs have played on Christmas for three straight seasons, and now, they want to make it four in a row. "We'd love to play on Christmas," Donovan said, via ESPN. "We respect that the league wants to spread it around. We get it. Right now, we expect to be in a lot of prime-time games. We've made it pretty clear that our preference is to play at home on Christmas." There will be three games on Dec. 25 this year, which means that the NFL will need six teams to fill the Christmas schedule. With the holiday falling on a Friday, some teams might he hesitant to volunteer due to the short week, so this could be a spot where the NFL gives the Chiefs what they want.
- Chiefs likely won't open against the Seahawks. Seattle will be hosting the opening game of the NFL season and the Chiefs are a candidate to play in the game, but don't look for that to happen. Owner Clark Hunt said the league likely won't tab the Chiefs to play since't it's not yet clear if Patrick Mahomes would be available for the Sept. 9 game. "I don't think that's on the table anymore," Hunt said. "I think from a league standpoint, there would be some concern whether [Patrick Mahomes] would be ready to go."
The NFL loves to feature Kansas City in key spots on the schedule, so it won't be surprising if the Chiefs get their way with these requests.
6. Extra points: Former No. 1 overall pick lands massive extension
Imagn Images It's been a busy past few days in the NFL, and since it's nearly impossible to keep track of everything, I put together a quick roundup for you.
- Travon Walker signs huge extension with the Jaguars. After watching him record at least 10 sacks in two of the past three years, the Jaguars have rewarded Travon Walker with a massive four-year, $110 million contract extension that includes $77 million in fully guaranteed money. The 25-year-old was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and it's now pretty clear that the Jags are banking on him being a foundational part of their defense for years to come.
- Jets have longest postseason drought in North American sports. Going into the 2025 season, there were only two teams in North American professional sports that had gone at least 14 years without reaching the playoffs: The Buffalo Sabres and the New York Jets. The Sabres ended their drought over the weekend by clinching a playoff spot, which means the Jets now have the longest playoff drought of any pro team in North America. Congrats, Jets!
- Andrew Luck fires back at claim that Colts GM helped force him into retirement. During a recent podcast, former Colts tight end Eric Ebron made the claim that Colts GM Chris Ballard essentially forced Andrew Luck into retirement by essentially telling the QB that he needed to play even if he was injured and that pressure was part of the reason Luck retired. The former Colts QB says that's not true. "Any notion of internal pressures that influenced my decision are without merit," Luck told Fox 59 in an email. So there you have it, despite Ebron's claim, it is not Ballard's fault that Luck retired.
